The Israel Lacrosse Association has named Matthew Glaser (Clark ’85 / Roxbury, CT) its’ Man of the Year, and Katie Mazer (UPenn ’09 / Baltimore, MD) its’ Woman of the Year, for their outstanding individual contributions to the development of the sport in Israel in 2013.
Glaser, who first visited Israel in 2011 for his son’s Bar Mitzvah, has been a steady and dependable member of the Israel Lacrosse family from abroad. The 50-year-old made two trips to Israel this year, both dedicated entirely to promoting and furthering the game. He was a crucial part of Israel’s summer activities, serving as a coach for Ashkelon Lacrosse Club, as well as the USA All-Star team which scrimmaged Turkey and Israel. Glaser also helped run the benches at Israel national team tryouts at the Wingate Institute, allowing the world team staff to focus strictly on evaluation. He returned to Israel in December to coach with the first-ever U-19 National Program; spending a total of four weeks in the Jewish State in 2013. His selfless attitude and actions; from washing uniforms, to shuttling players to and from Ben Gurion airport, to lending his garage in Connecticut to the organization as a local equipment depository, make him an indispensable member of the Israel Lacrosse family.
Mazer made Aliyah in February of 2013 to help develop the sport at all levels in the Jewish State. For five months, in addition to her role with Israel’s youth programs, Mazer served as defacto coach of the Israel-based portion of the women’s national team. Her role helped her World Cup teammates make tremendous strides in their game prior to training camp, which was instrumental in Israel’s 8th-place finish in their first ever world event. Since the World Cup, Mazer, who resides in Tel Aviv, has been leading efforts to establish a structured internship program, and has served as the lead adviser for the Israel Lacrosse Association to assist other athletes who want to make Aliyah to represent Israel, allowing others to follow the path she has paved. As a national team athlete, and as a person, she is an outstanding role model for young girls in Israel and abroad. The Federation of International Lacrosse also honored Mazer in July with its’ “Heart of Lacrosse” award.
“Todah rabah!” – The Israel Lacrosse Association thanks Matthew and Katie for their roles as ambassadors for the country of Israel and the sport of lacrosse.